Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Laugh – December 6, 2015

Sue said, “Definitely a super cute photo! Now tell the truth, did she get a little taste?”

Honestly, I can’t remember, but I think they each got a bit of something. 😀

Alexa88 said, “Delilah drooling on flannel shirt, sniffing and snuffling in dads ear. was she also talking?

Not this time. Sometimes she does harrumph us, or sigh deeply, but this time she was just focused on that sandwich. And by the way, thank you for pointing out your avatar, I totally missed it. Your Lily is a beauty!

Blueberry’s Human said, “Wow – I am truly amazed at Delilah’s restraint…I do not eat in the car if I have B with me. I’m fairly certain the next day’s headline would read, “WOMAN INJURED IN CAR WRECK CAUSED BY HER DOG HIJACKING HER CHEESEBURGER; DOG UNHARMED. LEGISTLATION SOON TO PASS PROHIBITING DOG OWNERS FROM EATING IN THEIR VEHICLES IF THEIR DOGS ARE ACCOMPANYING THEM.””

BAH HA HA, I could see you wrestling Blue with one hand and trying to keep control of the wheel with your other.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s mom said, “When I was a little girl – 5 or 6 – and we would drive to Newport, Vermont, to spend our summer vacation with my grandparents, I would rest my chin on my dad’s shoulder and ask “are we there yet?” at least a dozen times. My nose isn’t as long as Delilah’s, but the look on my face was probably similar”

Aw, that’s so cute. And I’m laughing at you pointing out that your nose isn’t as long as a Labradors!  You have a perfect nose for you, Sue.

There Goes Delilah

Sue said, “LOL See… fresh blog fodder courtesy of Delilah! She is really something with that food focus!”

Her food focus is incredible and when she’s GETTING food, she loses her shit.

Lauren Miller said, “That’s nice you have a neighbor you like! We haven’t met any nice ones yet!”

What’s up with that? Do you remember when people used to be neighborly? I sure do.

Cupcake says, “Gah! No, D. You’re supposed to wait till the disabled person gets OUT first. THEN hop in and eat the groceries. Jeez. Have some manners….”

Right!

Emma said, “How embarrassing, yet funny…well, since it didn’t happen to us! LOL!”

Oh it’s always funnier when it’s not happening to you. LOL

Blueberry’s Human said, ” That reminds me of when Blueberry almost knocked down the sweet old hot dog carrying lady (with a bad hip, mind you) in the park and ripped the bag from the old lady’s hands so she could help herself.”

Nice Blueberry, real nice. How red was your face? 😉

Monika said, “When Puck my sheepdog was still alive, we were on a walk when she climbed onto a bench at a store in the small shopping square of restaurants and boutiques near the house. Before I could even wraggle her lard a$$ off, she laid in a lady’s lap.”

I can’t stop laughing at this one. If Sampson could figure out how to climb in people’s laps, I could totes see him doing this.

Jan K said, “We knew Delilah would come through with a good story for you! As long as your very nice neighbor was not hurt or anything, we can laugh, right?
Not every dog is cut out to be a therapy dog but maybe Delilah could do nose work or something? ”

Yes, I’m so glad she wasn’t hurt! When I called her to check on her she said, “What are you worrying about? I let her by and she did it so smoothly. She would never hurt me.” She is such a sweet woman.

Delilah has done nose work, but we stopped that when all the medical stuff cropped up. The almighty dollar only stretches just so far. 🙂

Four Gifts for Pets Blog Hop

Cupcake said, “I NEED longer legs so I can reach the table to get the foods I WANT to EAT – like pizza and cookies and grilled cheese.”

I can only imagine what your mom’s life would be like if you had longer legs!

Emma said, “We would like to read your book in print…when will that be???”

That’s a damn good question Emma. I’m currently going through and doing the first edit. I’m finding some gaps, so I’m filling those in. Once they’re filled in, I will reread taking notes and making sure it all flows. Then I will assess what more needs to be done. I’d really like to get cracking on it, but right now I still have no idea.

Sue said, “LOL I really want to see Delilah with a sausage link necklace. She would go out of her mind!”

She sure would. I’m working on her with a new video and she’s out of control when there’s food. It’s funny and sad, and it’s really hard to train her, because she loses her freaking mind.

Blueberry’s Human said, “Blueberry isn’t into reading and frowns upon it when I do. She would, however, like to trade places with me for a day and EAT everything I usually do and dole out tiny morsels from the good stuff to me so I know what it is like for her when I am stingy.”

Can you imagine what our dogs would dole out to us? I’m glad they can’t trade places!

Jan K said, “This was just hysterical….the two dogs…I don’t think they’d argue that you hit the nail on the head with them!… It took me so long to do the 4 pets, I never even thought to do myself, but I think dog trainer is on my list too! I try to work with Luke myself, but I think I might need help in order to really make progress… Can’t wait for your book! I told someone else that I also NEED time to read books though!”

Thanks Jan! I appreciate that. I was shooting for funny. 🙂 Someone gave me the contact of a good trainer that doesn’t use treats, he uses praise. Considering how slow I am with the clicker and the treats, this might be a good option for me. 🙂

Do you know when I read? I shut my computer and TV off around 10:00 pm and that’s when I read. It helps my mind de-stress and calm down for sleep, PLUS I get the bonus of reading something!

Get Your Sh*t Together – Barks and Bytes

Mary said, “I don’t plan my blog posts. I do have certain days I do things, like the photo prompts. But I pretty much fly by the seat of my pants.”

I used to fly that way too Mary, but I’m finding it harder and harder to focus and having a plan really helps.

Julie said, “I make lists all.the.time. And still forget things all.the.time!! So, yeah, I need to be more organized. More organization=less stress, right??”

I would say, the more organized you are the easier it is to prioritize, especially if you have a list. BUT here’s what happens to me. I make the list (say for the grocery store) then I go to the store and forget the list. LOL

Jenna, Mark “Husky-Crazed” Drady said, “I think i would die without my online calendar planner! I am SOOOOOOO forgetful, when I come up with a blog idea, if I don’t jot it down right away, I will never think of it again!!”

I have to jot it down too! Most times I think of it while I’m out walking and if I don’t make a phone note….pffft, it’s gone!

Jan said, “I make lists and even lists of lists, but I am still paper person. I’m glad there are a few of us left.”

My phone works in a pinch, but I’m with you, I really love the paper.

Genevieve said, “All my writing ideas, all my appointments, and my to-do list are on my phone. I use them religiously. If my phone eats it, I’m screwed. Not really. They’re also in the cloud which puts them on my iPad. If the cloud eats it, I’m screwed, but that would be the end of the world, so we’ll all be screwed. I hope I can still check my email after Armageddon…”

Who knows if they’ll even BE email after Armageddon?

Pamela said, “I keep a simple notebook and pen with me at all times. I write everything in it–grocery lists, to do lists, blog topics, business ideas, quotes, etc.”

You’re very wise Pamela, very wise. I should start carrying a small pad myself.

Jan K said, ” I used to be so organized when I was younger but I seem to have lost that lately. I do have a few lists on “post-its” on my computer but for the most part I still like good old fashioned paper for lists. I also have a blog binder with some semi-organized note pages. But I also at most times have at least two different lists on scrap paper next to my computer, that I periodically re-write once I have a few things crossed off. I’m not sure it’s the greatest system but it kind of works for me right now.”

I used to be organized too!  I wonder how we lost that?

All I’m saying is whatever works for you, use it!

Hailey and Zaphod said, “I use a paper planner for work and appointments. I tried a digital one, but I like to see a whole month or week and didn’t find one I liked. I am the queen of lists, digital for work, paper for home. I am fairly organized but still forget a thing or two!”

I like the digital calendar for the reminder, but I love to see a full month too! I think that’s why I like making my own paper one, put everything I want in it.

Well that’s it for me folks, have a wonderful weekend!

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Smile – November 29, 2015

 

Meagan and Merlin said, “So cute. Merlin is really excitable so when kids approach him, he sits down for them. We never taught him that, he does it himself.”

That’s great! Sampson doesn’t typically sit to be pet, but after a short time he usually lays down. He just can’t stand like he used to.

Off to the Mountains

Anonymous (which I actually think is my sister) said, “They have toe grips?! You mean I could get rid of all theses crazy mismatched runners!? ”

Yes they do! They are called Dr. Busby’s toe grips and they come in four sizes. You should check them out.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “I’m not sure I’d have allowed my girls off leash if I knew there had been a mountain lion in the driveway! Maybe on an extra-long leash, but not completely off leash. ”

I did bring the long leash with me and I did have her on it for a bit. The mountain lion was seen at 7:00 pm so I made sure we did our walking well before then!

Jan said, “If I had a view like that I would get nothing done all day.”

Right? It’s so easy to do, just sit on the deck and stare out. It’s so beautiful.

Emma said,”That sounds super fun. It is always fun to visit places in the middle of nowhere, but we couldn’t live that far out. Mom likes modern convenience too much. Glad no one was eaten by a lion…I could see you running into one. What a post that would make and I bet the photo of the kitty would be blurry too as you would be running!”

OR I might have tried to stand still and get a picture. LOL One time we were checking out some property and my sister screamed, “Bear, there’s a bear! Get in the car!!” Her, my husband and my brother-in-law all made tracks for the car and I said, “Where? Where is it? I want to see it!” And then someone grabbed me and made me get in the car. 🙂

Julie said, “I always loved letting Daisy off leash to run and walk with me but I can’t do it with Cocoa yet. That looks like a beautiful place to explore and it’s good the dogs all got along. 5 is lots of pups!!”

I love letting Delilah run, but I have to be SO careful, because she will run off. So lots of callbacks and lots of treats for her. Yes, five dogs is a lot, but for the most part they basically ignore each other.

Jan K said, “I love Littleton, it’s such a pretty town.”

It really is! Here’s a photo I took a couple of years back.

Taryn said, “Really didn’t do too much, but amazing as it seems, lunch on Friday was eaten OUTDOORS at a restaurant.”

Wow! That’s awesome. It was a pretty mild day for us also.

What’s Left to Say? – Barks and Bytes

Thank you all for the great comments.

We’ll touch on the SEO comments first…

Lauren Miller says, “Hopefully I figure out SEO one day.. Haha!”

Jan K said, “I still barely know what SEO is and still don’t use it all the time. It took me at least 2 years to figure out a lot of this stuff…and there are new bloggers out there that know so much more and do so much better than I do…. I often feel the way you do…like stopping because I just can’t keep up with it all and feel like I’ll never be good as the others. But wouldn’t the followers we do have, even if they’re not in the numbers others do, miss us so much? Also, like you, the thought of NOT having the blog just leaves me feeling kind of bereft – if that word is not too dramatic to describe it?

Julie says, “I have no idea about SEO and I need to do Pinterest and Instagram and yikes…. I would love to make some money from doing it to help me keep doing it but we’ll see. I would have to devote lots more time and learn SO much more.”

Well I know what SEO stands for, does that count? LOL But how it works and what I should be doing with it, I still have not. one. clue. And Jan, no, bereft is not too dramatic.  Julie, I can’t do them all, so what I do is focus on one thing. I am usually more active with Facebook and I use Triberr for tweeting (are you on Triberr?) I’ve been trying to get better at Instagram and post a photo once every couple of days. To be able to do EVERYTHING really feels like it’s a full-time job to me.

Steven said, “I’ll drink to your next 5 years with a beer tonight – I’m thirsty after licking the photo of the Apple-Pecan pie.”

Well I thank you kindly sir. But have to advise against licking the screen. You know how contagious those computer viruses can be. 😉

Dawn said, “Sometimes I think about how nice it would be to live like a normal nonblogging person.”

I agree. I had a taste of it this past weekend. I scheduled my Friday and Sunday posts on Thursday, and truthfully, I didn’t look at a blog until Sunday night. It was actually kind of nice, but I’m still freaked about not blogging at all.

Thanks to Hawk for letting me know that the damn linky tool wasn’t working. Honestly it got worse as the day went on. At one point, the list wasn’t even showing up on the blog and Linda told me she had taken the code of out hers and I did the same. I hope it gets straightened out soon.

Callie, Shadow and Ducky’s Mom said, “I totally get the “what’s left to say?” as this is my fifth year of blogging, too.”

Well congratulations Sue! Job well-done my friend.

Sue said, ” What’s left to say? You’re kidding, right? With Sampson and Delilah as “fodder” and your own creative mind, I’m thinking you’ll have plenty to say for a long time to come.”

Tell that to Delilah! She’s not producing much content lately, she’s starting to freak me out. 😉

Monika said, “You’re kidding, right? With your two sweet pups and sense of humor, there’ll always be something to say! Big time congrats on the blogiversary. That’s more than pretty impressive. I can’t imagine not hearing about your adventures so please file that notion with the gluten and “fur-getaboutit” ok? We love you, Jodi! Here’s looking forward to the next 5 where you could teach some of us how to do it right and laugh along the way. I mean, what’s a SEO anyway? ”

Thank you, that’s very sweet. As for teaching you something though, I’m pretty sure I’m not qualified.  Like I said above…I KNOW what SEO STANDS for. LOL

Emma said, “When we are down on the blog, we always look at those first posts to remind us of how far we have come, but we still have a long, long, long way to go! ”

It is good to look back at that. I remember when I first started I kept asking my two readers, “how do you get more readers?”

Blueberry’s Human said, “I guess I am a big loser because I basically use my blog to chronicle my life with Blueberry. Before I started her blog, I thought that was the goal of all bloggers – just to have a public diary of sorts. Seems like it’s changed though and there are more bloggers like yourself that strive for something more and actually get paid to do this! I think it’s great – but I am not sure I could take the pressure. I kind of prefer the fact that I have just a handful of faithful commenters on my blog – they feel like friends to me (you are included, of course). ”

SHUT UP. You are NOT a loser. People get into blogging for SO many reasons, if you are happy with journaling your life with Blueberry THAT is what is important. And I agree, I really feel like you all are my friends.

Mary said, “I’m right there with you sister. Five years for me in January, and no being big and famous over here either. I decided that I’ll blog if I want to, even if no one is reading.”

It’s a great attitude Mary! But remember, you are famous to me. I’ll never forget the first time you tweeted at me. I thought “Holy shit, I made the big time, Roxy the Traveling Dog just tweeted at me.”

DZ Dogs said, “I’ve hit a winter doldrums right now, I have all these ideas to blog about but haven’t had the energy to actually write them so instead I have a long list of drafts…
I finally got one up today about being thankful – as a reminder to myself that my life isn’t as bad or as hard as I sometimes feel it is….You keep writing though and we’ll keep reading! 🙂 Sometimes a photo is the perfect post for a day where you don’t feel like posting. And WOW does that look good, any chance of a recipe? Or maybe you could just deliver one to my house. LoL”

Good advice, I always forget about posting photos. You know I thought of a couple of posts today, I have to start using my editorial calendar again!  And wow, if this is the winter doldrums, what the hell will February look like? LOL We’ve only just begun!

As for the recipe, you can find it on THIS POST. I’d have added it, but this post is REALLY long.

Elaine said, “I say, keep blogging as long as you enjoy it and remember that for every person that leaves a comment there are many, many more that visit your blog and smile or laugh at your stories. It makes their day a little brighter and that’s pretty good motivation to keep writing and entertaining all of us.”

Thank you Elaine, sometimes I lose focus and need to be reminded of that.

Hailey and Zaphod said, “Congrats on 5 years! We just celebrated that too.”

Wow that’s so awesome, I didn’t realize how many of us started blogging around the same time!

Jackie Bouchard said, “Huh. You made me curious so I looked and I missed my 5 yr blogoversary, which would have been Oct. 28 this year.”

Well congratulations!! 

Alexa88 said, “I’m a nonblogger who came across your blog by way of another blog.
I’m a newcomer to your blog. having a large furry bed hog myself ( her name is lily and she is a Hovawart). i enjoy reading about your dogs, enjoy the photos of them but i continue to read your blog because you pull your life into your blog as well. your way of writing your voice if you will engages the reader. I’m not saying this very well but your blog is like getting a phone call from friend that you really enjoy hearing from. the old days type of calls where just calling to say hello ends up being a long chat.”

Wow Alexa, that’s such a nice thing to say. Thank you so much for taking the time to share that and I’m glad my writing can touch someone in that way. Welcome to Heart Like a Dog, I hope you’ll stick around. And maybe some day you’ll share a picture of Lily with me. 🙂

That’s it for me! I hope you all have a wonderful weekend! 

 

Welcome to this week’s edition of Follow-Up Friday, the post where I highlight reader’s comments, answer questions and generally just wrap up my week.

You Make Me Laugh – November 22, 2015

Emma said, “Katie and I don’t do anything but sleep on our beds, but my little monster sister Bailie rips my beds to shreds. She ruined my very favorite bed the other morning, and Mom was even home at the time! She was in the kitchen working while Bailie shredded my bed. Our office was covered in stuffing. Not good. I guess if you pups do it to their own beds it isn’t so bad. Maybe make a new cover for it?”

I think it’s time for a new bed. I’ve fixed the cover once and now the stuffing is so destroyed, that taking the cover off leaves a wicked mess. Anyone have any good recommendations for Orthopedic dog beds?

Jan K said, “Cricket scratches at the beds all the time, but luckily no holes yet. I’m sure Sheba and Luke would have a field day if there were. Cricket is often seen lying around different toys in the beds though!”

That’s so cute, I love photo of her curled up with her ball next to her. 🙂 My guys don’t typically take toys to bed.

Jan said, “That is adorable. He must have his own concept of comfort.”

He MUST because it doesn’t look comfy to me. LOL Maybe it’s the dog version of a body pillow?

Perhaps the best advice came from Lily & Edward (Two French Bulldogs) “You were suppose to hide the evidence.”

Goodness, please don’t give them ideas!

Treating Canine Arthritis with PEMF

Before we get to the questions, Sampson had his second PEMF treatment on Tuesday. It lasted about 1/2 an hour, the next day Sampson was full of himself. He and Delilah rough housed in the morning after he ran around with his Kong, which was AFTER we took our 25 minute walk. It seems to be a good therapy for him and apparently he feels better.

Emma said, “The chiro has really helped Katie a lot. She is a bit sore for a day or two and tired too after the adjustment, but then she feels really good. Because of her condition, she gets an adjustment about once a month, but for the first two months or so it was every two weeks.”

I put in a call to our holistic vet and he’ll be coming down to give Sampson an adjustment and possibly some acupuncture, but the appointment isn’t until Christmas Eve. One of the owners at my Vet’s practice can do the acupuncture, in the meantime, and I can always ask my vet to recommend someone for chiro if he really needs it sooner.  They do have someone that does it at the place where he gets the PEMF, but for what they wanted to charge, I’d prefer the holistic vet to do it.

Sue said, “If Jeffie had had cal surgery, we’d planned to do this treatment. He did have chiropractic care and I highly recommend it!”

I appreciate that Sue, it really does seem to be helping. 

Julie said, ”  I always gave Daisy massages to try and help her and do the same for Cocoa even though she is a pup still.”

I give Sampson some massage too, especially when those back legs start trembling. Poor little love. I think it’s beneficial to get those muscles stimulated and the blood flowing to those areas.

Jan K asked, “Why does it seem like when you find something promising, you always hear something bad about it? I’m glad you did further research and talked to your vet for reassurance.”

I think it’s the same with most things. There are always going to be people who have a negative experience with a product/company/treatment. In general I feel like when we get good service we rarely mention it, but when we get poor service or have a poor experience we tend to really let loose.

Happy Thanksgiving – Barks and Bytes

I’m glad so many of you liked the photo, it is hard for me to find a photo where both my dogs are looking at the camera. I found that photo from three years ago, originally I was trying to come up with something about Plymouth Rock, but came up with that one instead.

I’m sorry I haven’t gotten around to a lot of blogs lately, I’ve been focusing on working on that book. 🙂 This weekend I’ll be spending some time with my sister, so I’ll try and get around to them next week.

Have a wonderful weekend!